Judwaa 2 | Highway Reel Film Review

More than the ratings, these are the most common questions I imagine you want to ask about the film. So here we go.

Story Kya Hai?

Exactly the same as every Bollywood film about twins. They separate, thanks to a villain. One is raised rich, shy and mild, romantic and adorable. The other one is a phataka, has machismo overload and has been raised in a slum to be an endearing mawali. There are goof ups and family, girlfriends and villains are confused. But they come face-to-face eventually and fight off the villains.

Give or take a few scenes and characters, it’s exactly the same as Judwa released in 1997. Also – let’s admit to each other – do we really go looking for stories in a David Dhawan film?

But I am a huge BHAI fan, how does Varun Dhawan stand up to him? OR I hate Salman Khan, I hope Varun is better!

NO, Varun Dhawan is not better than Salman Khan. But not worse either. Because David Dhawan is the real star here, not any of the two actors.

Sr. Dhawan knows his actors and their limitations and strengths very well. Plus, he has the pulse of the audience so any actor who is half-decent will do this film well. Varun Dhawan actually does a good job. He has the charm, comic timing and the body which this film exploits well. So, simply put, he holds up on his own rather well. And if you really really miss Salman, then he does appear for an OMG-inducing two minutes towards the end!

Is it worth my money?

Yes. Lots of eye candy! The leading ladies obviously have no role but look cute and hot and sometimes give OTT reactions. Jacqueline does it flawlessly. Tapasee, though a bit hesitant , is a good fit for mainstream films as well.

The action is fun to watch. Actors in minor roles do pitch in competently. Dialogues are the jaan of any comedy films and this film too has superb dialogue. The audience was laughing throughout the film.

I was younger when I watched the previous Judwaa, will I miss it at all?

You might. Mainly for nostalgic reasons. And if you think Bhai is god and irreplaceable.

You may miss the greats like Kader Khan, Tiku Talsania and most of all, Shakti Kapoor! Rajpal Yadav not only fails to fill the shoes of Shakti Kapoor but is so insipid that its annoying. And for the songs, you know Tantanatantan Tara is already in the film. Varun and Tapasee dance decently and Jacqueline as usual is a class apart!

So it’s a clean, family entertainer in short? No sexism, homophobia and stupid humour?

NO! Though it is a tad better than other comedy films in the recent times, especially the ‘Kool’, ‘Masti’, ‘Housefull’ and ‘Golmaal’ series.

Yet, it has loads of offensive jokes. Sexism is reflected not only in objectification of the two leading ladies but most importantly because of no concept of consent. Both of them are kissed without asking and instantly – like a second later – they are in LOVE!

Homophobic, able-ist and racial humor liberally peppers the film. Surprisingly though, every five such jokes are followed by a truly funny joke or moment. A comment on Rakhi Sawant’s advice to remove fans to prevent suicides, an excellent dialogue about demonetisation and a popular internet funny video are used perfectly.

It begs the question then if the director and the writers can do such a great job making you laugh with the good jokes, why put the offensive jokes at all? And the answer to that, in my opinion, is because audience demands it. If we really want bad humour to decrease or disappear from our films, we need to watch as many Newtons as we do Judwaas, it is then the producers will see the benefits of investing in cleaner comedies.

So, raat ke show ke do ticketein zaroor karwaiye! And wish you a Happy Vijay Dashmi!

Nandini Arora is a TV writer by profession, having contributed to many a masala saas-bahu shows. She seeks masala in her real life too, sometimes by unashamed gossip, delectable food and in books. She loves movies and discussing them even more, over a cup of elaichi chai!

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